3 Options To Replace David Andrews at Center for Week 3
The New England Patriots will likely be without starting center David Andrews when the Las Vegas Raiders come to town Sunday afternoon.
Andrews underwent surgery for a broken thumb on his snapping hand earlier this week, according to multiple reports Friday morning. That will likely keep him out of at least New England’s Week 3 matchup with Las Vegas, meaning the team will have to turn elsewhere at center.
This isn’t exactly uncharted waters for the Patriots, since Andrews missed the entire 2019 season with blood clots in his lungs. The situation has changed over the past year, however, since the team’s offensive line depth is in a very different spot compared to last season.
Ted Karras started 15 games at center last season in Andrews’ place, even posting an Approximate Value of 7 – compared to Andrews’ 8 in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Karras is gone now, leaving for Miami in free agency last spring, meaning Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick will have to turn elsewhere to plug the hole in the short term.
The options are relatively limited considering kickoff is just two days away, but there are still three potential replacements for Andrews on Sunday.
Option No. 1: Hjalte Froholdt
The favorite to replace Andrews this weekend is also the least experienced of the bunch.
Froholdt was the Patriots’ fourth-round pick out of Arkansas in 2019, but he missed his entire rookie year due to a shoulder injury. He has been on the active roster for both of New England’s two games this season, despite not recording a single snap yet.
At Arkansas, Froholdt played both center and guard, and was second-team All-SEC in 2018. He excelled at pass protection in his collegiate career, not allowing a single sack in 12 starts at guard in 2017.
Froholdt’s experience at center is limited to three games in 2018 and training camp this past August. Still, his 6-foot-5, 305-pound frame and ability to play multiple positions shows he has a high ceiling, and now might be the best time to test it out for the Patriots.
Legendary offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia is gone, so it would be safe to assume position changes and lineup shifts won’t go as smoothly moving forward. But the Patriots’ options are limited, and Froholdt is the simplest fix for their center woes with Andrews gone.
Option No. 2: Joe Thuney
Thuney’s most recent experience at center was in high school, and it wasn’t even in football.
The fifth-year offensive lineman did not play center in his four seasons at N.C. State, and he has yet to do so in the NFL either. Thuney did lead his high school basketball division in rebounding his senior year of high school, but that experience won’t exactly translate into success at center come Sunday, all kidding aside.
Thuney is certainly versatile, as he has been a top-tier left guard in the NFL since he joined New England in 2016 and has managed to pick up quality time at tackle as well.
Playing a game at center might not be the biggest stretch for Thuney, but it would pull him out of his comfort zone and place additional pressure on both Michael Onwenu and/or Jermaine Eluemunor, who would be the options to replace him at left guard if Thuney were to slide over to center in Week 3.
Option No. 3: James Ferentz
The only true center on this list isn’t even on the active roster.
Ferentz is currently on the Patriots’ practice squad, and he has been coming and going since he first came to New England in 2017. After spending the entirety of his first season on the practice squad, he appeared in two games in 2018 and was on the active roster for Super Bowl LIII.
The Iowa alumnus made his biggest mark in 2019, when he played in 15 games and picked up two starts.
Ferentz is the safest choice for Belichick and company due to his experience at center, but he is least likely to be a part of the team’s long-term plans.
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